


Where Dreams Come True

by multipurposetoolguy



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Disney World & Disneyland, Fluff, Gen, Healthy Relationships, M/M, Romance, every fandom needs a disneyland fic and i am but a humble servant, lots of hand holding and soft smoochies, the whole thing, this is seriously tooth-rottingly cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-12-13 13:15:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11760666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/multipurposetoolguy/pseuds/multipurposetoolguy
Summary: For Techie's birthday Hux pays for him and his long-term boyfriend Matt to spend a weekend at Disneyland, a place Techie has always not-so-secretly longed to go, and the lovebirds have the time of their lives at the Happiest Place on Earth.





	Where Dreams Come True

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is, the disneyland fic that I've been yammering about on tumblr for a good two weeks, finished and MUCH longer than anticipated, whew! Disneyland is an incredibly special place for me, and I was feeling nostalgic and thinking of what kind of fun our boys could get into if they had free reign of the place, and so this fic was born! many many thanks to [theweddingofthefoxes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theweddingofthefoxes/pseuds/theweddingofthefoxes) for holding my hand through times of doubt and spurring me on, and I hope you guys enjoy the fluff-fest!! 
> 
> quick note: if you are at all familiar with the layout of disneyland, you'll notice that the path they take through the park and the order in which they do things makes no fucking sense, and has them going back and forth all over the place. It's just the way the events flowed for my narrative, and I'm gonna advise you to suspend your disbelief with me and let them make weird decisions XP

 

Matt told him he'd read online that they give out buttons for everything, that everyone's got one, that Techie wouldn't be the only one wearing one and he shouldn't worry about it. It's blue, and has a cartoon of a sloppy towering cake on it; the words ‘ _ Happy Birthday!’ _ emblazoned in bright yellow with his name in sharpie scribbled underneath. He picked at its edges where it lay pinned to his shirt as they walked through the gates, Matt quiet beside him. His badge said ‘Techie’, but that wasn't really his name, was it? It's what Matt calls him, what pretty much everyone but his brother calls him, but it's technically a nickname. Was it weird to put a nickname on his birthday button? He should've just put his real name. He didn't really like his real name but surely it was weird to put the word ‘techie’ where your name is supposed to go. It wasn't like it was a normal nickname anyway was it? It wasn't like Matt’s, short for Matthew, or like Sam for Samantha or something normal. What kind of name was Techie? He should've just told the nice lady to write  _ Bill stupid Huxley _ like a normal human being. Didn't Bill count as a nickname? It was short for Will, short for William, so really that would've been completely normal and not strange at all, he could already feel people staring, why hadn't he just-

“Hey.” 

Techie snapped back to reality, Matt's voice deep and even and anchoring him amidst the cacophony of sound around them.

“You know you don't have to wear it, right? It's optional.” He rubbed a soothing hand across Techie's shoulder blades and he sighed into the familiar comfort. 

“I want to! I do, it's… festive. I want to be festive.” They passed through the stone archway and out into the Park proper, and Matt snorted a laugh.

“You're here and it's your birthday, I'd say that's already plenty festive.” 

Techie contemplated the button’s necessity as they passed by a row of snack-food vendors, everything on their little shelves shaped in the classic Mickey silhouette. Even the different fruits laid out on ice beds to peruse were skewered elaborately to accommodate the tri-circle image. He was trying to decide whether it was charming or egocentric when the man behind the stand nearly startled him out of his skin. 

“Happy birthday Techie!” The man's smile was practically humming like a neon sign about to blow out, and he even waved enthusiastically as he and Matt walked past. 

He'd barely swallowed his heart back down from where it had leaped into his throat when a woman with expert control over a churro stand called out to him. 

“Happy birthday Techie! Have a magical day!” She looked just as excited about a stranger's birthday as the other employee was, and hearing his name (his weird, private and personal name) called by people he didn't know was beginning to fray the strands of what little calm he had mustered for an outing into a vast populous such as this. 

Without a word and with his fingers shaking only slightly Techie unpinned the button, instead fastening it to the inside of his messenger bag. He appreciated the sentiment, he really did, but a man could only take so much forced social interaction. 

Matt said nothing, but raised an eyebrow at him.

Techie straightened and cleared his throat. “I'm still wearing it, just… not where anyone can see.” Matt just gave him a look. “You  _ may _ have a little bit of a point, just a little.” 

Matt snorted again and threaded his fingers with Techie’s, swinging their hands between them. “I'm gonna need you to remember that later when you fight me on doing Splash Mountain,” He gestured with his free hand like he's endorsing a slogan on a late night infomercial, “ _ Matt is right sometimes _ .”

Techie barked out a laugh and smothered it in Matt's shoulder, grin threatening to split his face. He just couldn't believe he was  _ here,  _ the real deal, where he'd dreamed of visiting since he was  _ capable _ of dreaming, and that he got to share it with his favorite person in the world. Techie really had to amp up the steaks for Hux’s next twelve birthday gifts, because he was sure that nothing in the world could  _ ever _ top this trip.

“I'll try and keep that in mind.” He smiled shyly up at Matt and put the park map (and his heart) into his hand. “Where to first?” 

 

\---

 

Matt had insisted at first that Techie be in charge, as it was his big day, but one look at all the mingling colors and pathways on the park map had Techie’s head spinning. He wanted Matt to just lead him through the sea of people, and Techie trusted him to keep him safe and choose attractions that Techie would enjoy, but Matt was being particularly stubborn that everything be up to Techie. After a little bit of lighthearted squabbling they decided to just pick a direction and start walking, stopping at things that caught their eye as they went. 

It seemed like a no-brainer to head straight for the castle, so they set off hand in hand down Main Street USA towards the glittering pink spires, drooling over the scent of fresh popcorn and ice cream that seemed to be pumped from the very stones under their feet. 

Before they reached the stony entrance of the Park’s centerpiece, however, the sunlight glinting off the chrome chassis of a dozen little rocket ships taking mechanical flight off to their right caught Techie's eye. 

He gripped Matt's hand a sucked in a breath, already tugging them in that direction. “I know what we need to do first.”

Matt's eyes followed Techie's and then widened comically, looking even bigger behind his coke-bottle glasses and making Techie's heart swell with affection. He sped up to keep pace with Techie and nodded sharply, a grin of his own creeping across his face. 

“Definitely.” 

 

\---

 

“This is like, step one, isn't it? If you go to Disneyland, you have to get some ears. Right? It's like, protocol?” Techie mused, picking up a pair of Mickey ears with a wedding veil stitched on and squinting at it in appraisal.

Matt tried on a yellow pair with a red base and a cartoon honey pot in the center of each ear. “If you asked every person we've seen so far I'm pretty sure it'd be a solid 83% yes to that question.” 

“That's a good percentage, a strong ratio. I can live with that.” He stuck out his tongue and gave Matt’s Pooh ears a cheeky thumbs down, which just had Matt rolling his eyes with a smile. They'd been drawn to Tomorrowland like moths to a flame; or, more accurately, like two gigantic nerds to a plethora of Star Wars themed merch and attractions. Really they had no other choice, they were powerless to the call of the Dark Side and the hourly Stormtrooper parade. Just as Darth Vader was nothing without his helmet, or Luke Skywalker without his lightsaber, they had made a bee-line for the gift shops to suit up. 

Digging in a bin of ears of all colors and designs, Techie squeaked out a triumphant gasp. “Matt! Look no further, I found your ears!” He held the pair over his head and Matt rushed over, taking them gingerly into his hands. 

“Babe.  _ Babe.. _ ” 

They were black, the First Order insignia shining a glossy red in the center of each round ear and Kylo Ren’s mask printed square on the front of the head piece. Techie had seen rumors of the Kylo Ren design online, and had made it his mission to secretly comb every store in the Park for them and surprise Matt. It was like someone had opened the bulging file cabinet in Matt’s mind labeled ‘Kylo Ren Hero (Villain) Worship’ and crafted its contents into a set of tailor-made Mickey ears. 

Matt held them reverently, like they were Ren’s iconic mask, and placed them on his head with more ceremony than was probably necessary.

“I am never taking these off.” He placed a heavy hand gently on each of Techie’s shoulders, and the look he fixed on him was so intense that Techie started to think he had opened up a can of rogue-Jedi-worms-with-daddy-issues that he might not have been fully prepared to deal with. He barked out a laugh before he could vague-worry any further, suddenly accosted by the image Matt in the shower with a shower cap over his precious Kylo ears, and Techie had to cover his mouth to try to cram the noise back in. Matt had been the only person in his life who could manage to make him laugh with actual  _ volume,  _ and in  _ public  _ no less. 

Matt just eyed him warily for a moment and let his shy smile creep back, which was unfairly adorable in the first place, and dialed up to eleven with those darn ears on. “I’m serious, be prepared to bury me in these.” Techie grimaced; thinking about Matt’s (and by extension his own) eventual demise was  _ not  _ what he wanted to be thinking about right now, but he snapped out of it when Matt bumped him with his shoulder and asked, “Which ones are you getting?” 

Grateful for a question he actually had a response to, Techie gave the room a quick cursory glance before heading for a back corner, returning with a set of R2D2 ears in hand. He held them out with a grin.

Matt raised an eyebrow at him. “...That was fast.”

Techie’s smile cracked a little, turning sheepish. “I may have, I don’t know, googled designs to look at my options? I wanted to be prepared, and make sure I knew what was going to be available so uh… Yeah. I picked these.” 

Matt gently took the ears from him and put them on Techie’s head for him, giving him a fond smile.

“And how long have you had these picked out?” Matt slowly lowered his hands and let them rest cupping Techie’s face.

Techie coughed into a fist around Matt’s hands, not meeting his eyes. “Um, you know, just a couple… weeks.” 

Matt huffed a laugh and Techie could feel his face getting hot. “If you spend as much time on this trip having fun as you did researching how to maximize the fun-having experience, then your brother can rest assured that we got as much bang for his buck as humanly possible.”

He was blushing in full force now, but Matt leaned in and gave him a soft peck on the cheek and pulled him by the hand to the checkout before he could start feeling properly embarrassed. 

 

\---

 

Their next plan of action was the joint decision of Space Mountain, warily on Techie’s part and animatedly on Matt’s. They played Eye Spy for a while in the queue, but gave up after twelve consecutive answers ended up being ‘Mickey Mouse’. The ride itself was absolutely terrifying. Techie was sure that if he hadn’t been clinging to Matt’s arm like a drowning man to a life preserver he’d have been flung out of the coaster and into the churning maw of mechanics and glow-in-the-dark star decals. Matt, of course, absolutely loved it, the arm that wasn’t keeping Techie anchored to this plane of reality stretched above him as he whooped and laughed over the roar and music of the ride. If he’d been at all coherent he would have tacked on ‘Matt’s arm being ripped off’ to the list of things that stressed him out about this ride, which was honestly kind of an impressively long list considering the whole thing only lasted three minutes. 

They stepped off the ride and Techie tried to keep his legs from buckling under him, wobbling like a six-foot stack of Jell-o cubes and clinging to the crook of Matt’s arm just to keep from falling over. Matt turned a megawatt grin down at him, faltering as he took in what was no doubt Techie’s face minus all blood and normal-human-skin-pallor. 

“You didn’t like it.” It wasn’t a question, but Techie replied anyway. 

“No, I, It was-! Uh, it was, you know, super cool, loved it, I loved it.” He gave Matt a weak thumbs up and as much of a smile as he could manage, but Matt’s crestfallen look didn’t budge. 

There it was, the moment Techie had been biding his time for this whole trip and all the weeks before it, dreading its inevitability. He really was trying  _ so hard  _ to be okay with the crowds and all the smells and never-ending sounds, with so many things that made him want to crawl under a table and turn off every light in the room, and he was actually enjoying himself, he’d been doing so  _ well!  _ But, just like every time he tried to have something nice in his life, eventually one of his myriad of issues would rear its inconvenient head and become a burden on Matt’s fun. If Matt was happy, he was happy, and not for the first time and certainly not for the last he cursed his fuck-up brain and wished he could just be normal for  _ one goddamn weekend.  _ But no, Matt was looking at him like he’d just told him ‘Kylo Ren is stupid and a crybaby’ and Techie was going to have to explain to his brother why they came home early, how he fucked up this trip like he fucked up everything else-

“Techie please don’t lie to me.”

Matt’s voice was firm but not cruel, and heavy with feelings that Techie couldn’t place. He snapped out of his downward spiral and met Matt’s eyes hesitantly.

Matt pulled them aside into an alcove, people walking past them and exiting the ride in a steady stream. He put a hand gently on each of Techie’s upper arms and squeezed, fixing him with an intense look. His eyebrows were pulled together and made him look angry, but Techie knew it just meant that he was very serious about what he was about to say and was deciding how to say it. He usually thought it was incredibly endearing, seeing Matt bore holes in a wall trying to get the words in his head to cooperate with his mouth, but fixed on him like this it sent his stomach falling through the floor. 

“I don’t want to be the reason you have a bad time here, okay?” 

Techie opened his mouth to deny but Matt shook his head and continued. “It’s okay if you don’t like something, it’s okay to not want to do stuff.” He paused, nostrils flaring as he struggled with wherever he was going with this. “It’s  _ not  _ okay to pretend that you do just to make me happy and then make yourself miserable.” 

He rubbed his hands up and down Techie’s arms and his expression softened, the angry look melting away into concern. “Sure I like the big rides, but fuck them. I don’t have to go on them to have fun here, and they’re obviously not your thing.” He chewed his lip, looking away to cushion the emotional hot potato he was thrusting into Techie’s hands. “As long as you’re here with me everything we do is the best shit ever because we’re together, okay?”

Techie just gaped, his eyes misting over and making him blink down at his feet. How did he deserve this man? What monumental sacrifice did he have to make in some other life to be  _ this  _ lucky in this one? 

He stepped forward and let his head fall against Matt’s chest in answer, trying in vein to hide his sniffling. Somehow he’d managed to find a reason to cry at the Happiest Place on Earth. 

Matt held him close and rubbed a hand up and down his back, not mentioning the crying like the saint that he was. “Promise me you’ll be honest when something is bothering you, or you don’t want to do something.”

“I promise.” He replied, muffled against Matt’s t-shirt and his arms hanging limp at his sides. 

“Even if I want to do the thing.” 

Techie didn’t answer. 

“William…” Matt said mock-sternly and Techie groaned into his chest. 

“Okay, I give in, I promise to spoil all of your fun from this point on,” he pulled away and looked up at Matt, hands around his hips and grinning so he knows he’s joking and driving it home.  _ “Matthew.”  _

Matt wrinkled his nose. “Ugh. Okay let’s both agree to save the full-name card for only the most dire of circumstances.” 

Techie nodded solemnly, pulling a laugh out of Matt. They pulled apart, lacing their fingers together as they finally exited the attraction and spilled out into the gift shop with the rest of the crowd. 

They passed the monitors where the mid-ride pictures cycle through as they leave and Techie was relieved that their little talk in the hallway made them miss their own snapshot. He had no doubt looked like he was about to die, or like all his skin was about to fly off (neither were far from the mark, if you’d asked him at the time), and he was more than okay with that image dissolving into pixels and being cast across the sands of the internet forever. Matt didn’t seem to mind that they missed it and kept his stride, until they were absorbed back into the sea of people and left to decide where to go next. 

They walked aimlessly for a minute until a sign set up by a roped queue steadily filling with people caught Techie’s eye. He gasped and tugged Matt quickly into line, not too far from the front. He wished he could frame the look on Matt’s face when he realized what they were in line for and hang it up on his wall. It was absolutely priceless.

“Oh god babe I can’t.” 

“You  _ can,  _ and when will you ever get this chance?” Some little kids dressed as Luke and Leia got in line with their parents behind them, autograph books clutched in tiny hands. 

Matt turned in anxious circles, heat rising in his cheeks. Another snapshot he wanted for his wall, Matt honest to god  _ blushing.  _ This was going to be worth every horrifying second of Space Mountain, he could feel it already. 

“It’s just some dude in a costume- an incredibly detailed and film-accurate costume, sure, but- it’s, babe it’ll be weird.”

Techie raised his eyebrows at him and crossed his arms. “Are you  _ really  _ telling me you don’t want to meet Kylo Ren? In  _ person?”  _ He conceded Matt’s point, “Or at least as close as you can get to the real thing.”

Matt flushed scarlet and scowled, and Techie genuinely had to resist the urge to take out his phone and snap a picture. 

He didn’t reply, just stood there with an anxious pout, nerves bunching up his brow.

“I read online that his helmet has a vocoder and everything,” Techie sing-songed, trying to bolster his excitement. He knew that once the nerves wear off and they were a safe distance away from Kylo Ren’s biceps that Matt would be high on the encounter for the rest of the day, if not the rest of his life. He wanted to give this to Matt, to make up for upsetting him earlier. And if he got to see his gruff, severe, brooding boyfriend blushing and stuttering like a teenage girl at a One Direction concert, that was just an added perk. 

The line shifted forward, and Matt actually  _ whimpered.  _

“I think I’m gonna throw up.” 

Techie just wrapped an arm around him and laughed.

 

\---

 

It’s an hour after the photo op that Matt’s blush finally goes away. He was shaking like a leaf by the time they reached the front of the line, and Techie was a little taken aback; it wasn’t often that he had the chance to observe what nervousness looked like on other people, usually focused on keeping his own anxieties at bay. When the family in front of them cleared out and the masked actor turned his gaze to the pair of them, even Techie’s knees wobbled a bit in a swoon; he couldn’t  _ imagine  _ how Matt felt. But Techie had grinned wide enough to split his face, because he had gotten to  _ watch  _ every second of Matt turning into a fumble-y blushing fanboy in the face of his fantasy crush, and Techie was pretty sure it was the best day of his life so far. 

Techie had stood against the wall next to the professional photographer with his phone camera at the ready while Matt took a deep breath and approached, at Kylo’s beckoning hand. He had asked through his gravely vocoder if Matt was with the Resistance, and Matt had blurted out embarrassingly quick, “Never!”, which had Techie stifling a giggle. They conversed back and forth for a minute about whether Matt knew where ‘the droid’ was, Kylo complementing Matt’s Mickey ears and praising him for choosing the right side, and when Kylo told Matt that he was strong with the force he had a look on his face that had Techie seriously worried that he was about to faint. They posed for a photo, Matt and Kylo standing back to back and force-choking the camera with the former looking like a kid in a candy store. Even Techie joined in for a picture, the photographer picking up on Matt’s vibe and suggesting a silly shot where Matt stood in the middle of Techie and Kylo, who each had one of his arms in their grip as if fighting over him. He personally couldn’t wait to text that one to his brother. Matt’s face in it was like something from the cover of a trashy romance novel, somewhere between ‘boys, don’t fight over me, I love you both!’ and ‘my boner needs immediate attention or I may spontaneously combust’. 

After the photos Matt managed to wrangle a hug out of Kylo, which was really more of a Matt-clinging-while-Kylo-awkwardly-stood-there-and-didn’t-touch-him situation, but he knew that in Matt’s book it would 100% count, and so it would in his too. He saw Matt discreetly wipe his eyes (and not so discreetly run a palm over his sniffly nose) as they walked away, and Techie had squeezed his hand and told him how well he did. He bought copies of both pictures, and had already been mentally shopping for frames.  

Just as Techie had hoped Matt was in excellent spirits afterwards, and they found a little shaded table at the Tomorrowland Terrace where they sat with dastardly overpriced but decent food in front of them. This trip so far had been like a balm against the ache of the usual worries and doubts and stressful what-if scenarios that his mind regularly tormented him with (which was incredibly ironic given his mood at the start of the day and the sheer amount of people squeezed into one Magic Kingdom) and Techie suspected it had more than a little bit to do with the man going to town on a chicken strip across the table from him.

“Thank you,” Techie said suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence that settled as they ate. 

Matt shoved a french fry into his mouth and spoke around it, brow pinched. “For what?” 

“Just…” Techie fiddled with his grapes, plucking them each from their stems one by one. “Being here? Coming with me, I mean, doing all of this. With me.” He popped one into his mouth before he could shove another emotional sentiment through a wood-chipper and spit out its chopped up remains. He wasn’t exactly well-versed in expressing his feelings, or dealing with an abundance of them as being here with someone he is stupidly in love with was forcing upon him, but his therapist always told him it was important to try. Matt wasn’t eloquent or emotionally expressive either, it was something Techie actually quite liked about him, so he hoped at least Matt wouldn’t pick up on how awkward this was turning out to be. 

Matt tilted his head in question and took a pull of his Dr Pepper. “Are you kidding? Kylo Ren  _ hugged  _ me, babe, I’m pretty sure I should be kissing your feet right now for bringing me with you.” He reached across the table to take Techie’s hand, continuing softly, “Really though, I’m having fun. I thought it was gonna suck, honestly, but somehow it’s bearable.” He met Techie’s eyes for a long moment, and he felt himself sag with relief. 

“Somehow,” Techie repeated, squeezing Matt’s hand and smiling at him, both on the same emotional page. Some would call that a miracle, and Techie counted himself as one of them. 

Before they could both try and stumble through another heart-to-heart three-legged-race style the blare of a trumpet sounded from the speakers mounted in front of the stage at the center of the plaza, dramatic music playing while a voice announced that the Jedi Training Academy was about to begin. Eagerly they turned to watch as a handful of ecstatic children were chosen from the audience to don little Jedi robes and swing around plastic lightsabers. 

They talked amicably through the rest of their meal, cheering the little Padowans on and cheering even louder when Darth Vader himself appeared to challenge them, earning them a few strange looks. 

 

\---

 

After the gaggle of tiny Jedi valiantly vanquished Lord Vader and the two of them vanquished the rest of Matt’s fries, they headed into New Orleans Square to see what sort of trouble they could get up to. 

The Pirates of the Caribbean ride was a delightfully relaxed change from Space Mountain, and the low lighting had been wonderful on Techie’s eyes. It was a little strange being in a boat on an attraction, free to bob and dip as the water dictated, but Matt assured him it was on a track and that they were in no danger of tipping over or drifting off to get stuck in some dark forgotten corner of the ride. The gift shop afterwards was fun to browse as well, and he saw a couple of cool enamel pins that he was considering picking up as a gift for ‘Tidge’s boyfriend Ben before Matt engaged him in a very dramatic plastic-sword fight (which he lost, Matt really needed to work on his defense) and were asked to leave the store. 

Their next stop was the decrepit and ancient looking plantation house aptly named the Haunted Mansion, and as they filed past countless gravestones with painfully bad jokes etched into them while they waited in line, Techie could feel Matt begin to tense up. 

Techie squeezed his hand and looked up at him in question, but Matt just flashed him a mostly-genuine smile and pointed out an interesting design feature of the mansion’s support system, so he decided to not push him. The rest of the queue was uneventful, Matt watching Techie play Tetris on his phone over his shoulder and being a backseat brick-layer. When they reached the front and a cast member dressed in somber Victorian clothing intoned deadpan, “Ladies and Ghouls, please shuffle your bodies toward the  _ dead center  _ of the room…” and gestured them through a tall wooden door, Matt’s odd tenseness came back and settled in his shoulders. 

They were crammed into a dimly lit room with about three dozen other people before Techie could say anything, and Matt quickly found his hand and gripped it tight enough to be almost painful as the only door to the room slid closed, dousing them in total darkness. Matt’s hand was trembling in his own and Techie heard his breathing quicken, loud in the quiet dark. 

“Matt are you… are you scared? The ride hasn’t started yet, I think we’re still in line-”

“ _ No,  _ no, I am not scared.” He cleared his throat and Techie didn’t buy it for a minute. “It’s just really dark in here, I can barely see you. It’s dangerous, people could, I don’t know, trip or something-”

“You’re really gonna give me the tough guy act after the scolding I got at Death Mountain?” He bumped Matt’s shoulder playfully in the dark before continuing, softer, “It’s okay to be scared honey, this ride is supposed to be spooky.” 

Techie could hear the scowl that Matt’s reply was wrapped around, stubborn as ever. “That was different, you were genuinely terrified.” Techie could also hear Matt gulp, betraying his conviction. “This would be similar if I  _ was  _ scared, which I am definitely not, so it’s fine. I’m fine. It’s just dark.”

Despite them having just gone through this in reverse just a few hours earlier, Techie supposed he could give him this one, and let Matt’s (adorably obvious) fear slide for now. It was usually best to let Matt ride out whatever proud or stubborn thing he was caught up on until it passed, and Matt  _ was  _ almost blind without his glasses, so he could see how the dark would be disorienting for him. If Matt wanted to be stubborn, Techie could play along. 

They passed through the cobwebbed and dusty interior of the house, making small talk and swapping quiet remarks about the changing portraits on the walls to try and make Matt laugh. Once they got to the little track and were seated in their carriage, Matt seemed to relax a bit. 

The lap bar lowered itself across them and Techie snuggled in close, the cart gliding into motion smoothly. “See? Nice and slow, and no horrifically strong g-force.” Matt chuckled and murmured a sound of agreement, wrapping an arm around Techie’s shoulders probably in equal parts bravado and comfort-seeking. As they crept along slowly through the mansion Techie pointed out interesting animatronics and techniques, asking Matt’s input and how he’d improve some of the clunkier mechanics, given the chance. Matt warmed up to the ride quickly once they started bickering over whether hydraulics or geared motors would produce smoother movements for a skeletal hand pushing open the lid of a coffin over and over. They passed through a portion of the ride featuring a whole cast of animatronic ghosts reflected with light and mirrors so that they appeared translucent and could flicker in and out, and Techie gushed over the clever design of it, making Matt smile fondly at him in the dim light. Techie felt like Matt’s hero for once, instead of the other way around as it usually was, and he weaseled his arm between Matt’s waist and the back of the seat to hold him close. 

The tentative calm that Techie had precariously built for Matt came crumbling down, however, as they passed into a room done up like a graveyard where robotic specters jumped out from hidden places to scare the riders. Matt went stiff as a board, clamping his eyes shut and jumping as one of them popped out near them. Techie put his head in his free hand and despaired the loss of their progress.

Techie reached over to pat Matt’s chest in what he hoped was a soothing fashion. “Baby, they’re on a timer, completely predictable patterns.” He hoped that if they were frights that they could anticipate that they wouldn’t have such an effect on his poor, almost hyperventilating boyfriend. To demonstrate his point, he untangled himself from Matt’s grip and waited a few seconds, then put his hands out and gave a half-hearted sarcastic  _ boo!  _ just as a grinning ghost popped out from behind a tombstone in front of them. His plan backfired, and only succeeded in making Matt jump a foot in the air and actually  _ yelp.  _

Techie couldn’t help himself, the contrast between normal Matt and trying-not-to-wet-himself Matt was just too much, and Techie choked out a laugh. Matt gave him a murderous look, which, when coupled with his heaving chest and white-knuckled grip on the lap bar, just had Techie slapping his hands over his mouth to stifle even more laughter. 

“I’m sorry baby, it’s not funny, I’m sorry.” Techie said after he’d caught his breath, leaning in to give Matt’s cheek a gentle kiss in apology. Matt heaved a shaky sigh, focusing on Techie now over the graveyard shenanigans, and he could see Matt’s lips quirk up just a little at the corners. 

“It’s… It’s a little funny.” Matt relented, weaving his fingers through Techie’s and holding tight for the remainder of the ride. 

As they exited the ride hand in hand, a tiny undead bride beckoned them menacingly to ‘ _ Hurry baaack,’  _ from her mounted perch across from the exit. Matt’s angrily muttered “Fat fucking chance” under his breath as they passed sent Techie into another fit of giggles, this time Matt joining in. 

 

\---

 

They had decided early on (after Tomorrowland had veered them off course) that they wanted to save the castle for when the sun was setting, both of them agreeing that the best way to experience Fantasyland and all the fairy-tale magic therein would be when the sunset washed everything in rich, vibrant colors and made every twinkling light in the park flicker to life. 

Techie had seen pictures of it online, all lit up and glowing and the hallmark feature of the park, but no pixelated image could ever have prepared him for the real thing. 

Passing through the vaulted archway was like nothing else that Techie had ever experienced. It was like walking out of the harsh, too-loud too bright reality around them and into a dream, a fairy-tale world of soft edges and sweet, tinkling music that set him at ease like flipping a switch. He’d read somewhere once that you had to hold your breath when passing through tunnels or else you'd be cursed with bad luck, but he didn't even have to spare that low-radar anxiety a thought because this place already took his breath away. 

Techie heard Matt gasp a little beside him and he was relieved that he wasn’t the only one overcome with the palpable, whimsical beauty of it. With night setting in it was like the whole place was made up of fireflies nestled in gentle palms, secret light peeking out between fingers. Soft, muted shades of gold, pink, pastel blue hanging in the air almost like a veil, like they’d just stepped into the grainy film of a cherished home movie, dust spots and faded edges from being played countless times, an echo of a timeless memory held close to the heart. 

“Wow...” Matt breathed, fairy lights reflecting in his glasses. 

“Yeah…” Techie answered, the nebulous beauty around them outside the realm of description. 

They strolled at a leisurely pace, exploring with hearts in their eyes, and found themselves in line for the famous Teacup ride. There were dozens of paper lanterns of all sizes and colors hanging from trees surrounding the attraction, casting the whimsically large teacups in a dreamy glow that drew them to it like moths to a flame. Soon enough it was their turn, and after Matt snapped a picture of Techie in the teacup to send to Armitage (and probably set as his wallpaper, Techie knew that Matt could be sentimental when he wanted to) the ‘Mad Tea Party’ was beginning. They turned the wheel between them together to spin their teacup, a dainty [pink and white one](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/f7/8a/da/f78ada6d0f9d305319858b43d8917836.jpg) with hearts painted on, laughing as it spun faster and faster and the lights and people around them started to blur. Before too long Techie’s head was spinning as fast as their teacup, and by the time it slowed to a stop and they clambered out he had to cling to Matt to stay upright. 

Stumbling only a little, they made their way to the nearest bathroom, where Matt faithfully rubbed Techie’s back like the chivalrous boyfriend he was while Techie was bent over the toilet losing his lunch. Suddenly he’s very glad Matt took that photo of him, so he’d have a pleasant memory of the world-renowned Teacups and not just miserably hacking into a toilet bowl. 

He was still a little woozy, so Matt tugged them gently towards the carousel, figuring it’d be a nice and calm segue from the dizzying dishware. There were little golden bulbs covering almost every surface of the ornately designed structure, making every last glossy-painted horse sparkle and glow in the settling dark. To Techie the carousel felt like a huge battery, energy palpable in the air from a humming power core that sent electric enchantment flowing through every inch of the park, glowing brightest here at its center. 

Matt helped him onto a [light grey horse](http://www.capeforge.com/carousel_1.jpg) draped in pale blue painted ribbons, summer flowers studded along the neck and flanks. [Matt’s horse](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e4/83/e7/e483e78b81e7b14125591d0f36f1cd0d.jpg) was bone-white, its black mane sculpted into square grooves, and it had a wreath of deep red roses around its neck. Matt playfully patted his horse’s breast with a hollow thud.  

“Alright girl, tell your friends nice and slow for the Prince over here.” He met Techie’s eyes and grinned, kicking his leg in a playful  _ hiyah! giddyup!  _ as the carousel slowly came to life. 

“Ha, I am  _ not  _ a prince, Matt.” Techie deflected, blushing a little under the comparison against his will.

Matt scoffed at him, which was frankly ridiculous given his horse slowly rising up towards the glittering ceiling and making him look down his nose at him. “Are you telling me you’d rather be, what, a nameless farmhand in your medieval fairy tale birthday fantasy?” 

“There’s nothing wrong with a quiet life in the country! Even in medieval birthday fantasies.” 

Matt shook his head solemnly, which again looked completely silly as his horse now slowly descended from its perch and his own began to rise underneath him. “My sweet, naive Techie, where has life failed you?”

Techie laughed and stuck his tongue out at him when his horse rose higher than Matt’s, then looking mock-offended when his lowered and it was Matt’s turn to climb higher. Life had in fact failed him in many, increasingly traumatizing ways, and Matt knew that, and didn’t treat him like some walking taboo conversation topic. He allowed Techie to joke about the things that shaped who he was, good and bad, and it was entirely freeing, and something no one else had given him the chance to do. Spurred on by the playful calliope music and heaping heart-fulls of affection for the dork on a plastic horse next to him, Techie leaned towards Matt’s horse and made a kissy face, like a sucked-in fish face that little kids liked to make and then be scolded that it’ll get stuck like that. Matt laughed at him and leaned in, somehow managing to meet in the middle and share a quick, undulating kiss that had them both giggling at each other.

After a minute Matt leaned back and threw his arms out wide, a passionate look on his face like he was being held by Leonardo DiCaprio on the bow of the Titanic, and Techie threw his head back in laughter. Turning back he caught a glimpse of himself, reflected in one of the many filigreed mirrors lining the inner support cylinder of the carousel. He stared at his reflection for a long moment, struck to his core by how utterly  _ happy  _ he looked. He didn't just look the part, he felt it too, every ounce of unbridled and unbelievable joy that he'd never thought he'd be allowed to have. The last few years of his life had been filled to bursting with good things that he never thought he could ever deserve; reuniting with his brother, landing a comfortable job designing software that he loved, being introduced to Ben’s broody blond cousin at ‘Tidge’s birthday two years ago, and it feels like here, in this Kingdom of Dreams, that all of the love he's felt in recent years is focused on him red-hot like sunlight through a spyglass. 

If the Techie from even just five years ago could see him now, he'd think he was dreaming. He would never have believed he could be this happy, without having to suffer first. But here he was, in a place built on candyfloss and magic and the best kind of make-believe, with someone real who loves him and was snort-laughing next to him in that way that made Techie feel like he was losing his mind and never wanted to find it again, honey-gold light caught in his hair and the bulbs overhead like stars in his eyes.

Techie turned away from his reflection as tears started to blur his vision, and it was then that the ride started to slow to an easy stop. He tried to quickly wipe his eyes, not wanting to worry Matt and have to explain that they’re happy tears, but he had no such luck. Matt turned to him once he had dismounted and immediately his face fell. 

“Baby? What’s wrong? Do you feel sick again? I think there’s a bathroom just over-” 

Matt can’t finish his sentence before Techie is hopping down off his horse and crashing into his chest, clinging tight to the back of Matt’s shirt and giving up on stopping the tears. 

He hiccuped into Matt’s chest for a minute, Matt’s arms rubbing his back and holding him close as riders filed out around them. “Techie..? Babe I’m a little lost here, you’re gonna have to fill me in-”

“I love you,” Techie murmurs, right over Matt’s heart. “I just love you.” 

He could hear Matt’s heart speed up under his ear, and he cried even harder that still, after this long, Matt was still as crazy about him as he was in turn. 

“Hey,” Matt said, soft,  _ so  _ soft, and pet Techie’s hair where the Mickey ears ended. “Hey. I love you too, more than anything in the world. You know that, right?”

Techie smiled a watery grin, hidden in Matt’s shirt. “...Even more than Kylo Ren?”

Matt did that laugh again, the one that went straight to Techie’s heart and squeezed. “Way more. But don’t go telling anyone, I have a reputation to uphold in the fanclub.” 

Techie choked out a laugh, squeezing Matt tight before looking up at him, no doubt looking a sniffly mess. “Deal. Now we should probably go before the ride operator faints.” They both looked over to the worried looking cast member in charge of the ride, trying to get the next round of riders on board but obviously aware they were having a moment and not wanting to disturb them. It was sweet, and Techie never wanted to leave this wonderful place. 

He pried himself from Matt’s chest, smoothing out the wrinkles he’d made in the back of his shirt, and they exited out the little gate to the relief of the operator. Hand in hand they set off to their next adventure of the evening, hopefully with minimal crying.

 

\---

 

They walked aimlessly for a while, taking in the park as it lit up for the night and just enjoying each other’s company, until they wound up in front of a towering attraction made to look like a mountain studded with rocks and clay. Techie eyed Matt suspiciously. 

“I daresay you had a destination in mind after all,  _ Matthew.”  _ He said teasingly.

Matt, for his part, replied in kind. “Is it so hard to believe that we wound up here as some sort of act of fate? That perhaps the universe lead us here for a specific purpose-”

“Matt.” Techie deadpanned, stopping in his tracks when Matt tried to pull him along into the deserted queue as waxed philosophical. “It’s dark out, it’ll be freezing!” He looked up at the twisting spires of Splash Mountain warily, unable to suppress a shiver at the thought of being wet out in the cool night air. 

Matt stopped when Techie wouldn’t budge and slouched comically, putting on a whine. “But baaaabe. There’s no one in line this time of night, we won’t even have to wait! And I heard you don’t even get that wet, it’ll be fine.” 

“You heard that huh?” Techie smirked at him, contemplating the probability that he’d regret this. He wasn’t really that opposed to it, it  _ did  _ look fun, and Matt’s hopeful face was more convincing than any doubts he could muster. He had to keep Matt on his toes though. 

Matt nodded sagely, eyes closed. “Oh yes, on a most trustworthy forum. And the internet would never lie.” 

Techie snorted, moving forward and nudging Matt towards the entrance. “Come on then, but if I get wet I’m writing a very strongly worded reply on that forum.” 

Matt stopped him gently with a hand on his arm before they got too far. “You sure? We don’t have to, it’s fine if you’d rather go do something else, and be honest-” 

Techie just leaned forward and gently kissed the tip of Matt’s nose, in such a bubbly warm mood from their time in Fantasyland that he doubted even wet pants could dampen it. 

“I’m sure.” He gave him a mischievous smile, “Quick, before everyone steals our idea and rushes over here!” He took off in a sprint, pulling Matt along behind them, and they ran laughing all the way through the empty line and up to the boarding area. 

True to Matt’s research the line was barely a line at all, only one group of three people in line waiting, and they boarded a log-shaped raft as soon as the pair of them walked up. Techie had barely finished stowing away his and Matt’s phones in his bag (just in case, he wasn’t going to risk his devices on the merit of an online chat thread) when they were guided into their own floating log, Matt gallantly taking the front seat to shield Techie from any threatening splashes.

Techie still didn’t like the feeling of bobbing in the water all willy-nilly, but as with Pirates they were on a track, and he tried to relax and enjoy the vintage animatronics and bizarre storyline. They pointed out clunky mechanics and some that were just straight up broken to each other as they floated along, Techie leaning forward in his seat to wrap his arms around Matt’s middle, his chin tucked over Matt’s shoulder. Eventually the their easy drifting came to an end, their log locking onto a steep incline that tugged them higher and higher, clicking ominously with each inch. They were headed for the ride’s finale, the big drop, and, most likely, a face-full of cold water and wet socks. 

Matt turned his head slightly to address him, placing his hands over Techie’s around his waist. “You ready?” 

Techie squeezed him and let out a laugh that only sounded  _ slightly  _ crazed, “No!”

Matt laughed back, patting his hands before raising his own above his head as they crested the top of the incline, facing their soggy future. Techie took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and the log tipped forward. 

 

\---

 

Of course, as luck would have it, Techie was absolutely soaked. There wasn’t a patch of dry on him anywhere to be found and his clothes hung heavy and water-logged off his frame, dripping all over the floor for the entire walk through the exit. 

He was drenched to the skin, his hair hanging lank and flat around his face and making his ears stick out like Matt’s did. Matt somehow had stayed almost completely dry, the water from their crashing descent having sprayed up over the front of their log and misted a few damp patches on his chest while buckets of it sloshed up over the sides and straight onto every inch of Techie. 

He was shivering, dripping everywhere, and he was sure he looked like a half-drowned ginger cat, but he couldn’t help but laugh at the way Matt was looking at him like he’d just broken one of Techie’s extremely intricate model TIE fighters and now had to fess up to the deed. 

Matt looked like he wanted to laugh but wasn’t sure if he was allowed to, and Techie wiped wet strands of hair out of his eyes and opened his arms wide. 

“Oh Matt, I’m suddenly feeling very much like hugging you  _ very tightly.”  _ He grinned wickedly and Matt’s eyes widened, backing away as Techie advanced on him. 

“No thank you, I’m good, no more hugs tonight- ah!” He shouted and laughed when Techie lunged at him, trying to catch him in a squelching embrace. He was laughing too as he chased Matt around to the screens where the mid-ride snapshots were displayed, and their laughter only intensified as they took in their photo. 

Techie’s arms were wrapped around Matt in a vice grip, the one eye of his that was visible wrenched tightly shut in horror as he hid the rest of his face behind Matt’s shoulder. His hair was also standing completely on end around his Mickey ears, making him look like he was being electrocuted _on top_ of being strapped into a rubber log and hurtled off a cliff into a pool of cold water. Matt’s arms were raised above his head loosely, drooping a little as the stomach-swoop of the drop must have kicked in as the shutter snapped. His face looked like he was about to sneeze, his glasses already speckled with water from minor splashes earlier in the ride and his eyes half open behind them. The pair of them made a hilarious sight, and Techie had the strongest urge to use it as their Holiday card to ‘Tidge and Ben. He filed that plan away under ‘imminent possibility’ and bought a printed copy from the kiosk, nestling it safe with the others inside his bag which had thankfully stayed dry.

Matt sighed out the tail end of his laughter and fell in step beside Techie, turning to him with a glint in his eye. “That is  _ totally  _ our new Holiday card.” 

Techie whipped around to look at him, wet strands of hair slapping him in the face. “...You read my mind.” Matt just laughed and took one clammy hand in his and pulled him into a gift shop across the way. 

“Come on, let’s get you something warm to put on.”

Matt had gone off to find something for Techie to change into while he perused a row of decorated mugs on a shelf, and when Matt pulled his purchase out of a plastic bag for him to put on, Techie raised his eyebrows at him. 

Matt blinked at him innocently. “What, I thought you liked Winnie the Pooh?” 

He did, and Matt knew it, and he rolled his eyes as he handed Matt the [hoodie](http://www.yourwdwstore.net/assets/images/1/10000/9000/200/400006506634.jpg) he’d bought and quickly peeled off his sopping wet shirt and swapped it for the sweater, tugging it over his bare chest. It was bright orange, a yellow oval on the front and black tiger stripes zig-zagging over the the arms and the sides of his torso. He pulled the hood over his head, Tigger’s face stitched into the top, with little nubby ears and everything. He spread his arms wide for the full effect.  

“Perfect, now I can blend in at an orange grove or a traffic cone factory.” 

Matt smirked at him and sauntered over to tuck his hands into the hoodie’s pockets. “The top two places to hide out if you ever commit some grandiose crime and have to go on the lam, your natural camouflage kicking in.”    


“Finally, a practical purpose from my genetics! And here I thought the only advantage was scaring kids who were mean to me in school because they thought the ‘evil ginger’ was gonna steal their souls.” He stuck his tongue out at Matt and leaned in to kiss his cheek, slow and soft. “Thank you, it’s perfect. And very warm, so y’know, mission accomplished there.” 

“Good,” Matt said, pulling away only far enough to take Techie’s hand and lead them wandering up the path, Techie’s wet shirt balled up in the bag the hoodie came in. 

They wandered up to a secluded bench, no one around this far up in the dark and near the water ride. They nestled against each other and into the peaceful quiet, the only sounds to be heard the distant, rhythmic rush of Splash Mountain claiming its victims and soft, almost melancholy warbling of a harmonica drifting from hidden speakers. Their fingers were laced together between them and Techie sighed in utter contentment, laying his head on Matt’s shoulder and smiling as Matt pressed a kiss into his hair. He’d been right, not even his wet pants could take this feeling away from him. 

They sat there like that for a while, just holding each other and watching the twinkling and twirling lights of the Park stretched out before them. Eventually Techie lifted his head, looking into Matt’s gaze and buzzing with the need to say something, anything, to convey how grateful and relieved and lucky he was to be here, to be with Matt, to be so  _ comfortable.  _ He took a breath to say- well, he wasn’t sure what, when a muted  _ boom  _ echoed across the park, dazzling gold sparks blooming to life in the sky above the castle in the distance. 

“Oh,” He said instead, blinking out at the sparks being swallowed up by the inky sky only to be replaced by yet more bursts, green and pink and swirling around each other like lovers locked in a tender waltz. “The fireworks are starting.”

Matt hummed, watching the sky light up in time with distant music and turning his gaze on Techie, something warm and tender in his eyes, like glimmering coals. “It’s beautiful.” 

He meant the fireworks, of course, but he was looking at Techie, looking at him like everything he’d felt on this trip so far, every stolen kiss and every shared laugh, the holding of hands like lifelines and doing all of this together because they wouldn’t rather be anywhere else, all of it was reflected back at him and reverberating twice as strong. In Matt’s eyes he saw a well of love as deep as his own, and it terrified him, made him shake, made him want to cry and scream and kiss him until both of them stopped breathing, but most of all it made him feel  _ alive.  _

In Matt’s eyes he saw the fireworks, too, and Techie knew then that he didn’t need to say anything at all. The bellowing hurtle of sky-shattering lights that dotted the sky said what he had wanted to say better than he ever could, loud and fast and so bright they burned their shapes into his eyelids, lingering even after they were swallowed up and born bursting anew. 

Techie did the only thing that made sense, leaned in, and kissed him. 

It was long, slow and sweet and crammed with feelings that have been buzzing around the edges of the whole trip so far, and when they had to break for air they both pulled away with love-struck looks on their faces. 

He could see his own stupidly wide grin mirrored on Matt’s face, and wordlessly they stand and walk down the hill, hands (and hearts) intertwined. 

 

\---

 

Walking through the gates and back into the real world hits Techie like a freight train, all the exhaustion from the day slamming into him and burying him in emotionally-drained rubble. 

He really must have been about to drop, because somehow against his better judgement he let Matt hitch him up onto his back and carry him down the street towards their hotel like he weighed nothing at all. He could feel his legs dangling long and lanky out in front of him, bouncing with every step with Matt’s strong hands supporting his thighs. His arms were wrapped around Matt’s shoulders and he pressed sleepy kisses into the back of Matt’s neck just because he could. He had a song stuck in his head, the one all the old-fashioned animatronic animals sang after the big finale of Splash Mountain, and he hummed it absently into Matt’s ear as they walked. 

“Hmm hmm… what a… wonderful day..” He sighed, eyes slipping shut. “Hmm… sunshine, headin’ my way…  Zip-a-dee-doo-dah…” He must have drifted off then, the noise and light of the street and passing cars slipping away. Before he slipped completely into sleep, he heard Matt rumbling out the last line, so soft he could hardly be sure he heard it at all. 

_ “...Zip-a-dee-ay”  _

 

\---

 

Techie woke to Matt fumbling their hotel room door closed with his foot, slamming it probably louder than he meant to and stirring him sluggishly back to reality. He lifted his head and grimaced at the drool spot he'd left on the back of Matt's shirt collar, eyes widening as he slid off of Matt’s back to stand behind him. 

“Oh my god, I literally fell asleep on you.” He buried his face in the back of Matt’s shirt, arms circling him. 

“You literally fell asleep on me,” He could hear the smile in Matt’s voice, and he let him turn in his arms so that they were nose to nose and standing just inside the room. “Good thing I’m so strong, any other boyfriend who doesn’t work out as much might’ve dropped you-”

“Oh stop, yes you’re my big strong boyfriend, I give.” Techie swatted at him when he pulled his arms up into an exaggerated flex, both of them laughing until Techie was interrupted by a long, jaw-cracking yawn. 

“Bed?” Matt asked, brushing the hair away from Techie’s face and cupping his cheeks, running his thumbs just under Techie’s eyes in a way that always made him feel so safe. 

“Bed.” Techie replied, nodding in Matt’s hands and falling against him, making Matt stumble and catch him, huffing a laugh. 

Over by the bed Matt shucked his shirt and jeans, climbing under the sheets in just his Donald Duck boxers (that Techie had ordered for him to help him get in the spirit of the trip and because Donald’s temper made him fondly think of Matt). Techie peeled off his mostly dry pants and deposited them in a pile at the foot of the bed but he left the hoodie on, hanging down to his thighs and over his own Mickey Mouse boxer-briefs. He face-planted on top of the covers next to Matt and laid for a long, boneless moment before wriggling himself under the covers and closer to Matt. 

They were laying so close that they shared the same pillow, breath and hands mingling between them. They laid there just gazing drowsily at each other for a long minute, blinking slowly with smiles soft and shy, back in reality after a long day spent in heady daze of adventure and emotion. 

“What do you wanna do tomorrow?” Techie whispered, even that sounding too loud in the quiet of the room. 

“Anything.” Matt whispered back, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind Techie’s ear. “Everything.” 

Techie sighed and cuddled closer in response, refusing to let himself cry for a _third_ time that day, laying his head over Matt’s heart and listening to its steady rhythm. Each beat drove home the undeniable truth that that day was real, it all happened, and the idea that it was going to happen all over again tomorrow with new sights and new sounds but the same hand in his was like a drug straight to Techie’s brain, overloading his already exhausted senses until he gave in and collapsed into an easy sleep, drafting a long-winded thank-you letter to his brother as he drifts. 

Before he slips away completely a thought occurs to him, and without any further analysis or input from his waking brain he knows it irrevocably to be true. 

He’s realized that they got it wrong on all the brochures, all the websites. This wasn't the place where dreams came true, not really, because Techie's had walked hand in hand with him through the gates and hadn't let go since. Techie didn't need fairy lights, characters in costume, or novelty shaped food to believe in magic. His own fairy-tale prince, his hot-headed knight, his dream come true was lying asleep next to him, and even long after they left this place he hoped it was a dream he would never wake up from. 

**Author's Note:**

> I repeat, WHEW! This is the longest oneshot I've ever written, and guys it was SO much fun, oh man. *as a quick little note in case there are any diehard disneyland fans reading: the horses that I picked out aren't actually ones featured on King Arthur's Carousel, I was having trouble finding specific ones from it that I liked so I just found those on google and went with it!) I hope you enjoyed it even if it was totally self-indulgent, and as always feel free to come find me on tumblr at [multi-purpose-tool-guy](http://multi-purpose-tool-guy.tumblr.com) !


End file.
